The Primal Hunter

”Your actions were needless and just made unnecessary trouble for him,” Duskleaf said as Vilastromoz teleported back to his usual chambers. ”Your intent, I assume.”

”You know me so well,” the Viper smiled at his disciple.

”Are you disappointed?” Duskleaf asked. ”You would have killed all four of them in a heartbeat just to avoid the slightest inconvenience. A choice he didn’t even consider.”

”No… if I wanted him to be a mirror image of me, I wouldn’t like him nearly as much,” Vilastromoz shook his head. ”Sentimentality can be healthy as long as he doesn’t overdo it.”

”His Path is not yours and never will be,” Duskleaf sighed. ”He is far more controlled than you ever were.”

Vilastromoz smirked. ”You say that… and yet I wonder what happens when he is truly pushed. I believe we shall come to discover that his and my extremes are not that different. That the lines he is willing to cross are far less controlled and restained than you believe.”

Duskleaf frowned but didn’t speak further. Not entirely able to disagree.

Reika had been at many social gatherings in her life and done plenty of convincing and negotiating. She had worked for her clan and even argued for more research funding… but trying to convince three fanatics that meeting their god and someone who was essentially a prophet wasn’t that big of a deal was way out of her league. To make it worse, then they had hung out with Jake and been casual with him for quite a while already, and this seemed to only hit them harder as they, in retrospect, viewed their actions as insulting if not downright blasphemous. This was clearly not something where logic could win.

After she had made the barrier and Jake was gone, it put a dampener on the mood, and Irin finally lifted her head as she stared at Reika. ”You knew?”

”Yes,” Reika just answered.

”For how long?”

”Since before we entered the Order. Jake’s identity is hidden here but not on our planet,” Reika explained. ”Back there, everyone with any status knows.”

”How…” Irin muttered as she fell silent again.

Bastilla still looked at Reika with disbelief without speaking as Reika sighed. She considered her approach to try and salvage the situation they found themselves in. She knew that her own casual demeanor was already way off from what the three of them would expect of her and would use that in her approach.

Rather than attempt to spin a tale of lies or a new cover-up, she decided to just go with the truth… a slightly modified truth with a good deal of her own conjecture mixed in, but the truth nonetheless.

”You must remember that Jake and I come from a planet that hasn’t even had the system for a few years yet. I didn’t even believe gods actually existed before the system arrived, and there is a good chance Jake didn’t either. Moreover, we come from a world with a modern culture focused heavily on individualism and a belief in personal freedom and equality. At least the parts of the world we were from. No one was inherently superior to others, at least we believed they weren’t, and anyone claiming to be better due to their inborn traits was heavily ostracized and looked down upon,” Reika began explaining as the three of them listened.

”The concept of others being superior is so foreign to us and also why I personally have a hard time adapting to a world with literal gods. It is a slow process, but I am getting more acclimated to it these days. I know they are superior; I know that a being such as the Malefic Viper is an existence I can barely dream of approaching, and I feel it deep in my bones every time I am confronted with a creature of superior strength and grade. But Jake does not feel this fear. You all know he has a Bloodline, and that Bloodline offers him innate resistance to auras and presences. Due to it, he does not feel the suppression of a god’s presence and coupled with his upbringing and inherent values and culture, he simply doesn’t share the same sentiment as most everyone in the multiverse. He does not experience fear nor reverence towards those superior to him, and in turn, he does not wish to be viewed as superior either simply due to what or who he is. Let us also be fair, Jake is not the most normal person, even on his best days. I do not say that to criticize him in any way either. Would anyone expect the Chosen of a Primordial to be normal? Has any of you ever met one before? I do not know if it is just me, but if each god can only have one Chosen, is it not only to be expected that person will be unique? And that the Chosen of a Primordial will be more special than any other?”

blasphemy, Reika didn’t believe she

been told the properties of his Bloodline before and knew it allowed him to resist auras. Parts of her wondered if it had other aspects as well, but it

especially the dragonkin, as she quite honestly had no idea what expressions they made or what emotions those

don’t need to convince Bastilla or even Draskil. As long as I get Irin on board and we reach an understanding, she can rope in the two others. Jake will

right now?” she asked the demon. Even if she had an

have spoken to his Chosen several times,” Irin said as a stupid

thought, Reika quickly realized as

eyes opened wide. ”What have I done? How could I not have realized? My behavior has been utterly unbecoming… should I beg? No,

of the succubus, hurting her hand a bit. ”Snap out of it already. Didn’t you hear a single word I said before? That he said

”You know what is really unforgivable? Thinking that if the Chosen and the Malefic One wanted to hide his identity, you could figure it out on your own. Or you believing that any actions you have done while interacting with the disguise he purposefully made weren’t something he wanted. Consider it for a moment. Jake already told you why he wanted to hide his

never!” Irin said dismissively,

own conjecture, but while we know why Jake wanted to hide his identity, have you considered why the Malefic One approved?” Reika

has been deemed that he benefits from interactions with others without them knowing his true identity. Perhaps it is something entirely else. Either way, the Malefic Viper likely wants us to question his Chosen. Judge his Chosen. Allow his Chosen to grow. For him to make his own choices and walk his own Path not affected by his status. Do notice how the Malefic One even asked the opinion of Jake and seemed relaxed with him. Machinations far above our realm of understanding are taking place, and if we truly wish to show our loyalty, the best we can do is to act as they want of us by not seeing Jake as the Malefic One’s Chosen. Even if we do at least recognize it, then we should not use it as an excuse to treat him

here to the Order, I have to remind myself every day that treating Jake like Jake the Chosen and not Jake the person goes directly against what he himself and the Viper wishes. So at the very least, try to treat him like a normal person. You have his permission and the permission of the Malefic One to do this,” Reika said, only lying a little bit as she didn’t ever really

You have an open invitation to approach and interact with the Chosen in a casual way. Are you

was inherently selfish. Irin was worried for several reasons, most of them to do with self-preservation and fear of what could happen to her if Jake was

A few seconds passed before her

to be smitten for blasphemy, and I have treated Jake normally ever since we met. He even asked me to join for this dungeon run showing that he clearly isn’t offended by my presence or

act like you don’t know he is the Chosen?” she asked

the Chosen isn’t really that big of a deal. I recognize it, I know it, but I don’t make it be what defines him. That is also his

get why he hides it,” Draskil

made a roundabout answer. ”Who are we to even try? If that is the

could be helpful. Reika felt like she had made some good process, but there was still work to do before she felt confident ”releasing” the three of them upon

chosen to run away to a place no one

to begin with when you can’t be arsed to actually keep hiding?” sim-Jake asked the real Jake as they both sat in

prefer it if people don’t know I am the Chosen. It

sim-Jake criticized. ”You half-ass so many things. You start doing something only to quit

have killed all four of them?” Jake

is natural to submit to those more powerful than yourself, and they all know it. It is the

conversation again,” Jake